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Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

This guide provides information on the Interlibrary loan services available to students, staff and faculty at Piedmont University.

What is Interlibrary Loan?

The Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Service can obtaining journal articles and books from libraries inthe United States to provide Piedmont University students, staff and faculty with library materials not available in our physical library collections or online in our current research services. 

Is there a fee for borrowing material?

There is no fee for borrowing material if you are a current registered student, staff or faculty member. However, if we mail an ILL book to a user, we ask the user to pay return postage. That is the only case in which an an interlibrary loan may result in a charge to the user.

How will I know when my journal article is available and how do I retrieve it?

When your journal article is received, you receive an email notification with instructions about how to retrieve it from your online ILL account.

How will I know when my book is available and where I can pick it up?

When your book arrives, we will promptly e-mail you.

  • Demorest students and faculty can pick up ILL books at the Arrendale Library.
  • Athens students and faculty can pick up books at the security desk at the Piedmont building.
  • Remote users will be mailed their books and can expect to receive email notices about the process.

Your Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Account

LOGON TO YOUR ILL ACCOUNT TO CHECK YOUR ACCOUNT & THE STATUS OF YOUR REQUESTS

LOGON TO YOUR ILL ACCOUNT TO REQUEST A BOOK or a BOOK CHAPTER

LOGON TO YOUR ILL ACCOUNT TO REQUEST A JOURNAL ARTICLE

  • These links will take you to logon to the ILL system, where you can logon to your personal account.
  • Use your Piedmont University Single Sign-on username and password to logon.
  • On the opening screen, you can review the status of your current ILL requests.
  • Click on the Create Request button to create a new request.
  • Then choose the type of item to request: Loan (book) or Copy (journal article).
  • Please supply as much information about the item you are requesting as possible.
  • Field names with asterisks are required.
  • Most of your account/contact information is already present, but you will need to answer some required questions about yourself to complete a form.

Communications Preferences

When your ILL account page opens, you can go to the bottom and choose Communications Preferences. By default, the ILL system will send you notices about your requests by email. You an also supply a cell phone number and receive text notifications about your requests.

There is a legally required setting named Do not send library account updates to me. The purpose of this setting is so you can opt out of receiving messages, as you might choose to do when establishing an account with a commercial company.

However, the Library and the ILL system will only send you messages about your ILL requests and your College email address will remain private.

The Library strongly urges you to continue receiving these messages. Check the box for Send library account updates to me. If you opt out, you won't receive automatic notices from the system, causing unnecessary delays in the processing of your requests.


ILL System Email Address

The ILL system will send you notices when you submit an ILL request, when you have an article available in your account, when you have a book ready for pickup, and other messages. These notices come from this email address notices@e.worldcat.org It's a good idea for you to add this address to the Preferred or Allowed Senders list in your email application so you don't miss a notification.

What Can I Borrow!

What can I borrow?

In general, you can borrow books, book chapters, and journal articles not currently found in our library resource collection.

What materials are not available for borrowing?

  • textbooks required for current classes
  • entire volumes of journals
  • "rare" materials
  • oversized and bulky materials
  • fragile materials
  • basic reference books
  • video and audio materials
  • materials available only from non-U.S. libraries.

Copyright Notice

The Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction.

One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would violate the Copyright law.

For further information, call the Arrendale Library at 706-776-0111. You can also contact the Interlibrary Loan Department by e-mail: illdept@piedmont.edu